The Lament of Hector​

Issue 15

Why must I slaughter
So many Greeks–
Because my brother loved too well,
Because Venus is cruel,
Because our foe knows no proportion?
 
Achilles burns to face me
With an ill-matched desire, they say
His ardor is too great, so
Let him abide with his spear-carrier
Patroclus, for a while.
 
Ah no, I slew his bannerman
And so he swears he’ll be revenged
Driven by the very sort of passion
That saw this war begin
When Paris freed Helen from her spouse.
 
It seems our giddy tryst
Will end families, cities and states
Such a small thing to cause
All this – the gods must think us
Justly tragic entertainment.
 
Full thirty heroes I’ve killed
Their armor and slaves now mine
I wish such honor would recompense
The enemy, so that Troy might live
Yet for that I fear I must die.

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A J Dalton (ajdalton.eu) is a UK-based writer. He’s published the Empire of the Saviours trilogy with Gollancz Orion, The Satanic in Science Fiction and Fantasy with Luna Press, the Dark Woods Rising poetry collection with Starship Sloane, and other bits and bobs. He lives with his monstrously oppressive cat named Cleopatra.

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